Ariana Grande: Miley Cyrus "Looks Like She's Having the Time of Her Life"

Ariana Grande is defending Miley Cyrus' recent decision to create controversy to distance herself from her Disney character. See what Ariana doesn't plan to follow the same path and doesn't want to be a sex symbol.
Ariana Grande has nothing but love for Miley Cyrus' strategic decision to distance herself from her Disney image...but don't expect the singer to follow a similar path.

Ariana defends Miley Cyrus in her new Complex magazine interview, saying, "Miley looks like she is having the time of her life, and I think anybody who's giving her a hard time is wishing deep down they were having as much fun as she is right now."

She adds, "People are being so cruel. I think that's bullying, and she should do whatever the hell she wants. Everybody needs to have more fun. If it's not your taste, don't look at it. I get so hyped up about the Miley thing because I think she's cool."

While Ariana agrees that Miley's transformation has been drastic, she said, "As long as she's happy though."

As for her own image, Ariana isn't looking to act sexy or distance herself from being a Nickelodeon star, saying, "the public has only known me as a character for so long...It's not something I think about, 'How can I show the world I'm grown up? I'm sexy or more mature.' I don't feel comfortable flaunting my body that much yet."

At the heart of it, Ariana says she wants to be noticed for the music she's making, explaining, "I don't need to do that to show I'm grown up. I don't want people to talk about my choices or how little I'm wearing. I just want the conversation to be about the music and what I'm creating."

She's not looking for sex symbol status, noting, "I don't see myself as sexy and I'm not comfortable being sexy and dressing sexy. I don't see myself ever becoming a sex symbol."

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Gallery | Disney Image Changers

The Jonas Brothers sibling boyband dipped their toes in the Disney waters with the Camp Rock movies and their TV series JONAS (renamed Jonas L.A.), becoming the heartthrobs of the network.

The Jonas Brothers took a break after their Disney days, with Joe and Nick each exploring solo careers and Nick returning to his roots on Broadway. Kevin went on to star in the reality series Married to Jonas, while the brothers worked on their comeback album. On October 9, 2013, they canceled their upcoming tour, citing "a deep rift within the band." In early December 2013, Joe published an essay that exposed their behind-the-scenes Disney experience.

Selena Gomez first made her mark as Disney Channel darling Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place. Her wisecracking teen wizard won over fans, but the show ended and she needed to crack out of her Disney image.

Demi really shed her Disney image when she went to rehab for a variety of issues. Demi's honesty about her struggles paved the way for a bright career, including new albums and a judges seat on The X Factor.

Lindsay's star was on the rise when she starred in Mean Girls, but then her star fell, with multiple arrests, including DUI and drug possession and six rehab visits. Lindsay has been on the comeback trail, but wow, what an image changer!

Miley's approach to putting Disney behind her was distancing herself from her Hannah Montana role as much as possible. Her key to success? Controversy, including her infamous foam finger twerking performance at MTV's Video Music Awards. When she hosted SNL, she joked about killing her Disney money-maker, saying, "I’m not going to do Hannah Montana, but I can give you an update. She was murdered."

Ashley Tisdale's acting career started very young, but her role as Maddie Fitzpatrick on The Suite Life of Zach & Cody put her on the map. She went on to play Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical series and a spin-off movie.

Ashley snagged many TV guest starring roles, playing a variety of characters on shows such as Sons of Anarchy, as well as starring on TV's Hellcats. She went on to star in Scary Movie 5, the latest in the popular horror movie spoof franchise.

Brenda branched out after her Disney days, showcasing her acting talent beyond her clueless London character with roles in The Social Network and TV's New Girl. She also landed a starring role on the Fox comedy Dads.

Hilary Duff's breakthrough role on the Disney series Lizzie McGuire made her a genuine star on the mouse channel. She went on to star in a Lizzie McGuire movie and the channel's original movie Cadet Kelly.

Hilary had one of the easiest transitions from being a Disney star to continually working as an actress, singer and even an author. She's had her own clothing lines and perfume collections too! And she's a mom. Aw.

Vanessa's leaked nude photos certainly flipped her Disney good girl image, as did taking on more adult and racy roles, such as playing Mimi in the Hollywood Bowl performance of Rent and in films like Sucker Punch and Spring Breakers.

Shia moved on from Disney, taking on more serious roles like The Battle of Shaker Heights and Disturbia, before landing high profile parts in films such as the Transformers franchise and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Despite his success, Shia has had a "bad boy" reputation--the polar opposite of Disney!

After his Disney days, the sky has been the limit for Zac, who has had a varied and successful acting career, starring in films like The Lucky One, The Paper Boy and the upcoming comedy That Awkward Moment. In fall 2013, Zac revealed he had gone to rehab earlier in the year.

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